In forensic science, it is useful to measure the speed at whichfirearms propel bullets. Before modern instruments, this was donewith a device called a “ballistic pendulumâ€, consisting of a blockof some soft material hanging from the end of a string. Theexperimenter fires a bullet into the block, which lodges into it;the block swings up at an angle. By measuring the angle, theexperimenter can determine the velocity of the bullet.
Suppose that you are a detective trying to measure the velocityof the bullets fired from a particular gun. You construct aballistic pendulum out of a string of length 50 cm and a clay blockof mass 2 kg, and fire a bullet into it. If the bullet has a massof 2.6 grams and the pendulum swings up to an angle 13.4 degrees,how fast was the bullet traveling when it struck the block?
Show all work and Thanks in advance!
